Groundwater development and management constraints in drought prone Chiredzi and Zvishavane Districts, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Communities in drought-prone areas continued to fall into new vulnerability traps due to increasing water demand and stress. The study assessed groundwater development and management constraints in the Chiredzi and Zvishavane districts of Zimbabwe. Groundwater development and management activities implemented in the study area were supported by the Government of Zimbabwe, development partners, humanitarian agencies, private sector corporate social responsibility, and individual households. Interpretivism and realism philosophical positionalities were employed in the study. Whilst interpretivism’s inductive approach enabled an in-depth qualitative methodology and understanding of the groundwater constraints, the direct realism provided quantitatively driven scientific and statistical data to answer the research questions exhaustively. Quantitative data was gathered through a household questionnaire administered to randomly selected respondents. Qualitative data was gathered using focus group discussions, key informant interviews, direct field observations and measurements. Respondents to the key informant interview were drawn from district-level government officials, local authorities, traditional leaders, village pump minders and water point committee members.

Due to climate change, communities have experienced an increase in the decline in groundwater levels during the dry season evidenced by demand surpassing supply. Temperature increase and rainfall decline experienced by 97%, and 73% of respondents from Chiredzi and Zvishavane districts, respectively, resulted in increased withdrawal and reduced groundwater recharge. Participants revealed that groundwater withdrawal is on the increase while recharge is declining as evidenced by the increase in conflicts at waterpoints. The 85% coverage by low groundwater-yielding basement hydrogeological formation suggested a slight reduction in groundwater recharge due to reduced rainfall and increased community vulnerability to drought. Village Pump Minders and Water Point Committees experienced operational challenges that affected the maintenance of groundwater sources. This was mainly due to the incapacitation of local institutions in terms of financial resources, equipment, and skills. The study recommends a groundwater replenishment model to improve groundwater aquifer recharge. Strengthening of local institutions improves the management of groundwater using integrated water resources management (IWRM) framework that promotes coordination between competing uses.